He's baaack_Beckham, Real Madrid hit Tokyo

Real Beckham (or was it Real Madrid?) arrived in Tokyo on Sunday and fans could not get enough of him.

Long before the team turned up for training at Tokyo Dome, thousands of supporters milled around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Beckham and his double-barreled ponytail.

Many of them wore a replica white shirt with the No. 23, even though the official new line with its special style of numbering will not be released until the middle of the month.

Whenever he touched the ball during the one-hour training session, and often when he didn't, fans shrieked in delight, as a close-up of Beckham was flashed on the giant screen.

About 45,000 fans paid 3,000 yen apiece to watch the training session and the 56,000 tickets for the F.C. Tokyo-Real Madrid match at National Stadium on Tuesday night sold out within an hour.

After a light workout, Beckham and teammates Luis Figo and Iker Casillas attended a news conference in the Tokyo Dome Hotel, as fans jammed together inside and outside the hotel to see the second coming of Beckham to Japan this summer after his promotional tour in June.

The 28-year-old England captain said it was an "extraordinary feeling" walking into the Dome and seeing so many fans present for a mere training session.

Beckham was asked if he had told his new teammates about life in Japan following his recent visit, and he replied: "Not really because not many of them speak English."

"It's quite difficult for me to explain how to pass them the ball, let alone discuss Japan."

"But I think all the players realize how important the fans are. It is going to be a great experience for us here in Japan, and it's been a great experience so far for me personally in a new team. Hopefully we can put on a great performance."

Beckham made his debut in the famous white strip of Real Madrid on Saturday in a 4-0 victory over the China Dragons All-Star team in Beijing.